Alt Bike Culture - Free radical on a CF frame - Am I crazy?

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wildergeek
06-23-09, 01:05 PM
I have a 1993 Cadec CFM-2 hardtail mountain bike converted into a commuter. It's old but 2,300 of the total 3,000 miles have only been in the last year.

I am toying with the idea of adding a Xtracycle Free Radical Kit to this frame. Am I crazy? Can the lugged CF/Aluminum frame handle the loading? Note that all attachment points would be to aluminum.

I'd love to build up a Big Dummy. Just can't afford it. The Free Radical Kit seems like a good idea from the standpoint that I can always move it to another frame in the future.

I'm not sure there's anyone on this forum with a strong opinion but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. ;)

Greg

xtrajack
06-23-09, 01:29 PM
I put my Free Rad on a aluminum frame. I am assuming that CF =carbon fiber.
I don't believe that you would have any problem getting it to fit, how it would hold up would be a whole other game.
I have no experience with carbon fiber parts at all,nor do I have any desire to. I have heard that they can be susceptible to sudden failure.
I also have issues with automatic transmissions in trucks
I am sure they are fine,just can't seem to wrap my mind around the concept. Same thing with carbon fiber frames.
I wish that I could be of more help to you. If you are thinking of getting a Free Radical I would say go for it, even if you need to get another donor frame.
I have had mine for a little over a year now, since I got it my other two bikes haven't seen the road
As a matter of fact I am considering getting rid of them.
I can see a Big Dummy in my future,maybe not soon but definitely.
mastershake916
06-23-09, 07:04 PM
I set mine up on an old specialized hard rock frame. I like having a cro-mo frame with the cro-mo xtracycle kit. I'm sure that you could, but from what I know of carbon fiber, is that it can handle certain forces very well, but others very very poorly; and I wouldn't doubt that the xtracycle could change the geometry enough to put some real torque on it that the designer never thought would be put on it.